Daniels got the Sonics off to a good start, hitting a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and the smaller lineup caused all sorts of trouble for the Spurs, forcing San Antonio into 15 turnovers in the first half. The Spurs averaged just 14 turnovers in the first three games of the series.

"We wanted to push the ball and I felt like we could tonight with three guards being in the lineup," McMillan said.

The Sonics tried to shrug off the absence of Lewis, although they would rather have had him on the court.

"Well, obviously it affects us a lot, but at this stage we can't let it affect us. So it goes both ways -- it will but it won't. If we want to win, it can't," Allen said.

With Lewis out, the Sonics seemed to pick up the tempo on the defensive end, especially with rookie Damien Wilkins chipping in five steals to go with 15 points in 32 minutes of playing time.

"We went small with Wilkins and he had a big night coming off the bench," McMillan said. "He's worked hard all season long. We talk about opportunities, and he came in and played big."

All the Sonics' guards scored in double figures, with Allen hitting a team-high 32 points, Ridnour setting a new personal playoff high with 20, and Daniels scoring 19. Daniels is the only Sonic to score in double figures in all four games of the series.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he expected the Sonics to change emotionally with Lewis out of the lineup, but he wasn't prepared for how his team responded.

"It's a coach's nightmare usually when someone (on the opposing team) sits out. You worry about a team playing inspired basketball, knowing that they are up against it and everything has got to be right," Popovich said. "Subconsciously, you worry about letting down and we talked about it, but sometimes it doesn't make any difference."

Daniels noted the small lineup allowed the Sonics to run an up-tempo offense after the Spurs seemed to be concentrating mostly on taking away the high pick and roll.

"When we had the opportunity to make something happen on the perimeter, guys made something happen," said Daniels, who had seven assists. "We put a real emphasis on pushing the ball after makes and also after misses. It's a lot easier to run when you don't turn the ball over."

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: The Spurs finished with 23 turnovers, a playoff high this season and a number that ties their regular-season high.

"I think we were in too much of a hurry," Parker said. "We didn't take our time and maybe tried to force it a little bit too much. We can't afford that."

Ginobili said the Sonics' lineup last night caused the Spurs some unanticipated problems.

"We let them get very confident and then get some easy buckets. We made too many mistakes for a playoff game on the road," Ginobili said. "With them playing at home and the crowd going crazy, it gave them even more confidence."

POPPING OFF: Popovich lit into just about everyone on his team with the exception of center Tim Duncan, who had 35 points and 10 rebounds to lead all scorers despite playing only four minutes in the final period.

"It's very disappointing to be in a position where you could go up 3-1 and go back home, and then see such unaggressive, sloppy, uninspired play," Popovich said.

Without naming names, Popovich implied some of his starters took the night off. Parker, for one, scored just 12 points, after scoring 29 in Game 1, followed by 22 and 18 in Games 2 and 3.

"You can't play for 12 or 20 or 24 minutes of the game," he said. "You have to maintain playing hard, smart and playing together. We didn't do that at all.

"It's not about Duncan or Parker or Ginobili, it's about a team."

LEWIS UPDATE: Lewis was scratched as a game-time decision after he could barely walk on the injured toe yesterday.

"If he goes out there for a minute, what's the difference in a minute as opposed to if you can't go, you can't go," McMillan said of the decision to give him complete rest.

"You know your pain tolerance. ... I'm sure if he felt like he could go and give anything, he would put on that uniform. Due to what he felt out on the floor, he can't."

Lewis' status for Game 5 tomorrow in San Antonio remains questionable and will also be a game-time decision.

RUSSELL MAKES ROUNDS: NBA legend and Hall of Fame player and coach Bill Russell was in the house to play diplomat as much as fan last night, since the game was just a few minutes from his Mercer Island home of 32 years.

Russell, 71, coached the Sonics from 1973-77, after leading the Boston Celtics to 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons as a player. Russell's Sonics teams were 162-166, and he was 6-9 in the playoffs while coaching in Seattle.

He likes the current Sonics' style.

"They have to play team ball to be successful, and I always like that," Russell said.

But he doesn't take sides, no matter where he chooses to live.

"I've watched the NBA since 1950. I'm still a fan. I try not to root for anybody. You know what happens if you root for somebody, they go right in the tank and it ruins your whole week," Russell said. "I try to stay away from that so I can enjoy the games."

Russell prefers playoff basketball over watching games during the regular season, even if the defensive nature of the playoffs doesn't always make for the most spectacular offensive displays.

"The good teams play the same way we played," he said of his days with the Celtics. "In the next round of the playoffs, there will be all good teams, and what happens most of the time in the playoffs is that two good teams meet each other and it becomes very dull.

"If it wasn't the playoffs, it would be dull as hell."

TIP-INS: For the first time in the series, the Sonics went over the 100-point mark, as the Spurs allowed a team to score 100 points for just the second time this postseason. It was the first time the Spurs had allowed a team in the playoffs this season to shoot more than 50 percent from the field. ... The Sonics' six 3-pointers were a series high, after they hit just two in Game 3. ... Allen reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time during this playoff run. ...

For the first time in the series, the Sonics took a lead and held it for the entire second half, with Seattle never leading by fewer than 12 points in the fourth quarter. ... The last time the Sonics were tied 2-2 in a best-of-seven series was a 1993 Western Conference semifinal series vs. Houston, which the Sonics won in seven games.